Dr Martin Elliott is a Senior Research Fellow at the Children's Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE), Cardiff University, and holds roles as Research Development Adviser for Health and Care Research Wales and academic lead for the all-Wales ExChange programme. His work focuses on child welfare inequalities, poverty, secure accommodation, and services for disabled children. With 17 years in statutory children’s services, he transitioned to academia via a PhD analyzing looked-after children in Wales. He has secured £3.4M+ in research funding, including a major CASCADE partnership grant. Educated with a DipSW (1997), BA(Hons) Community Studies (1998), MSc Social Science Research Methods (2013), and PhD (2018), his expertise spans mixed-methods research. Awards include the ESWRA doctoral thesis award (2020) and BASW’s British Journal of Social Work prize (2021). His research explores socio-economic dimensions in social work practice, policy impacts, and system equity. Key grants include studies on child welfare interventions, kinship care, and secure accommodation outcomes. He leads projects analyzing Wales’ Flying Start program, workforce regulation impacts, and crisis mental health services. CASCADE collaborates internationally on child welfare systems, reflecting his strategic focus on translating research into policy. His work bridges academic inquiry with frontline practice, addressing systemic challenges in child protection and welfare delivery.
Catherine Butler is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and Programme Director of the DClinPsy Programme at the University of Bath's Department of Psychology. She holds external examiner roles at Cardiff University, University College London, and others. Her academic journey includes a Doctor of Clinical Psychology from the University of East London, an MBA from the Open University, and advanced training in Systemic Supervision at the University of Exeter. Her research focuses on Inclusion, Whiteness, Gender and Sexual Minorities, Intersectionality, and Systemic Therapy, with contributions to anti-racism and climate crisis studies. Key projects include exploring systemic therapy supervision, validation of therapeutic scales, and shared learning courses with clinical psychology trainees. Dr. Butler’s scholarly work addresses topics such as gender dysphoria in neurodivergent populations, relapse experiences in addiction therapy, and systemic training in clinical psychology programs. She has been recognized for her contributions through awards like the Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Her professional activities include roles on the British Psychological Society committee, conference presentations, and advisory roles in academic and clinical settings. She has supervised 18 doctoral students and led projects funded by UK charities such as the Association for Family Therapy.
Bernadka Dubicka is a Clinical Professor and Honorary Clinical Chair in the Division of Neuroscience at the University of Manchester. She holds dual roles as a research lead at Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust and as the child and adolescent mental health research lead for Health Innovation Manchester. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health and previously served as Chair of the Child and Adolescent Faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists (2017–2021). Her academic qualifications include a BSc in Psychology and MBBs from University College London, followed by FRCPsych accreditation in child psychiatry. She earned a gold medal for her MD thesis on behavioral disorder implications in depression. Dubicka’s research focuses on adolescent depression, mood disorders, and brief interventions, including the IMPACT and STADIA trials evaluating psychological treatments and standardized diagnostic assessments. Her work also addresses technology’s role in youth mental health and the eco-crisis’s mental health impacts. Education: BSc Psychology, University College London MBBs, University of London MD Thesis (Gold Medal), University College London FRCPsych, Royal College of Psychiatrists Her research spans depression treatment efficacy, behavioral activation, and cross-national studies on pediatric bipolar disorder. She collaborates internationally and has led over 49 publications. Awards include a gold medal for her thesis and recognition as an RCPsych Fellow. Her work also emphasizes policy advocacy, such as addressing digital rights for children and mental health responses to climate change (e.g., COP26 contributions). She trains clinicians in brief psychosocial interventions and behavioral activation through academic programs and national courses. Grants & Funding: Co-investigator on the £1.1M HTA-funded STADIA trial evaluating remote mental health assessments. Principal investigator on the IMPACT trial, one of the largest adolescent depression trials globally. Labs/Teams: Collaborations include the University of Cambridge (IMPACT trial), University of Nottingham (STADIA), and international taskforces on treatment-resistant depression.
Yvonne Rogers is a Professor of Interaction Design and Director of the UCL Interaction Centre (UCLIC), with a joint appointment as Deputy Head of the Department of Computer Science at University College London. She joined UCL in 2011 after holding professorships at the Open University (2006-2011) and Indiana University (2003-2006). Her pioneering work spans ubiquitous computing, interaction design, and human-computer interaction, with a current focus on human-centered AI. She co-authored the definitive 'Interaction Design' textbook (6 editions, 300,000+ copies) and serves as CTO of LetThink.com. Research interests center on designing technologies that enhance human cognition and daily activities: Ubiquitous Computing: Augmenting learning/work activities through pervasive technologies Human-AI Interaction: Developing AI systems that enhance human decision-making Health Technologies: Creating VR therapies and ADHD support systems Community Resilience: Designing tools for environmental monitoring and sustainable practices Publication analysis reveals three dominant trends: (1) VR applications for mental health (emotion regulation, ADHD support), (2) AI systems for cognitive augmentation, and (3) community-centered tools for healthcare/environmental challenges. Recent work demonstrates strong emphasis on vulnerable populations including children with ADHD, older adults, and postoperative patients. Major scientific recognition includes: International Member, National Academy of Engineering (2024) ACM SIGCHI Lifetime Research Award (2022) Royal Society Robin Milner Medal (2022) Royal Society Fellowship (2022) Microsoft Outstanding Collaborator Award MRC Suffrage and Science Award (2020) Triple Fellow status (ACM, BCS, CHI Academy) Advises PhD students including Leon Reicherts, Sheena Visram, and Tu Duong. Secured major grants including EPSRC Dream Fellowship on ageing/computing and led the Intel Collaborative Research Institute on Sustainable Connected Cities (2012-2018). Directs UCLIC research center and previously established the Pervasive Interaction Lab at Open University.
Professor Marina Jirotka is a leading academic in Human-Centred Computing at the Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford, and a Governing Body Fellow at St Cross College. She directs the Responsible Technology Institute and leads interdisciplinary research on responsible innovation in AI, robotics, and digital systems. University: University of Oxford School: Department of Computer Science Position: Professor of Human-Centred Computing Leadership: Director, Responsible Technology Institute Fellowships: EPSRC Established Career Fellowship (RoboTIPS) Her research focuses on integrating ethical, societal, and human values into technology design. Key areas include responsible innovation, human-computer interaction, algorithmic accountability, and socio-technical systems. She explores trust, transparency, and governance in autonomous systems, digital mental health, and quantum computing ethics. Her recent publications reflect a strong trend in responsible robotics, explainable AI, digital wellbeing, and ethical governance. Articles emphasize interdisciplinary methods, stakeholder engagement, and practical tool development such as the Ethical Black Box and TrustScapes. Themes span autonomous vehicles, social robots, algorithmic bias, and sustainability in digital innovation. Excellence in Teaching Award, University of Oxford (2006) ESRC/SSRC Fellowship (2007) UCLA Scholar Award (2011) EPSRC Established Career Fellowship (2018, 2019) Vice Chancellor’s Innovation Award Highly Commended (2020) She supervises numerous PhD and Master’s students and leads major grants including RoboTIPS, RAILS, PARIS-DE, and Adolescent Mental Health in the Digital World. She co-directs ORBIT, a leading RRI training provider, and contributes to policy through advisory roles with the House of Lords, All-Party Parliamentary Groups, and industry consortia. She is a member of the IEEE P7000 working group and the UK Committee for IIASA. Her lab work involves interdisciplinary teams focused on responsible technology design, public engagement, and ethical tool development.
Emma Maclean is a Part-Time Lecturer and Module Coordinator in the Division of Occupational Therapy and Arts Therapies at Queen Margaret University. She holds qualifications including MA (Distinction), PG Dip, and BA (Joint Honours). Her roles include teaching on the MSc Music Therapy program, focusing on supervision for practice education placements and interdisciplinary studies. Education: MA (Distinction) in Music Therapy PG Dip in Music Therapy BA (Joint Honours) Research Interests: Partnership working, collaboration, evaluation, group work, and mental health across children, adults, and older populations. She employs research methods such as case studies and focus groups. Publications & Presentations: Her work includes a peer-reviewed article on partnership evaluation and a chapter in Arts Therapies in Schools . She co-presented a plenary session at the 2016 BAMT conference titled Music Therapy in a Changing Landscape . Affiliations: British Association for Music Therapy (BAMT) representative on Allied Health Professionals Federation Scotland (AHPFS) Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council Fellow of the Higher Education Academy Clinical Work: Works as a lead music therapist in the NHS, specializing in pediatric services, adult/older adult mental health (including dementia), and supervision. Engages in freelance violin performance with ceilidh bands, tango groups, and orchestras.
Jan O. Jonsson is a Professor of Sociology at Nuffield College, University of Oxford. His primary research focuses on social stratification, including educational inequality, class structure, and social mobility. He also studies ethnic stratification, particularly through his role as Principal Investigator (PI) for Sweden in the comparative CILS4EU project on minority schoolchildren integration. Jonsson oversees the Swedish Level-of-Living Survey (LNU), shaping his interest in welfare distribution analysis. His work bridges macro-level social structures with micro-level individual experiences, emphasizing intergenerational processes and immigrant integration. Research interests prominently feature studies on educational attainment disparities, immigrant integration dynamics in Sweden and Europe, and the social consequences of economic hardship. His recent work explores occupational aspirations among immigrant youth, mental health advantages of immigrant backgrounds, and policy impacts on child poverty during economic crises. As PI for CILS4EU, Jonsson leads a multinational study investigating educational and social integration trajectories of second-generation immigrants across Europe. His contributions include analyzing Sweden’s ‘middle way’ between social mobility and inequality patterns, and evaluating educational expansion strategies’ equity impacts. He has authored numerous articles on poverty measurement, family influences on mobility, and the role of education in socioeconomic reproduction. Key projects include the Level-of-Living Survey (LNU), which tracks welfare metrics, and comparative studies on social mobility across nations. His work frequently engages with policy implications of structural inequities, offering evidence-based insights for educational and social policies.
Sarah Harper is the Clore Professor of Gerontology at the University of Oxford and Director of the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing. She was appointed a CBE in 2018 for services to Demography and serves as Chair of HelpAge International. Professor Harper has held numerous influential positions including serving on the Prime Minister's Council for Science and Technology and as Director of the Royal Institution of Great Britain. Her educational background includes an MA from Cambridge and a DPhil from Oxford. Prior to her academic career, she trained with the BBC as a News and Current Affairs Reporter and Producer. She subsequently held academic positions at the University of London and the University of Chicago before returning to Oxford to found the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing. Professor Harper's research focuses on demographic change, particularly the implications of falling fertility and increasing life expectancy. Her work examines life course factors in healthy ageing, social and economic drivers of health and well-being, with emphasis on life transitions. She has conducted significant research on eldercare in China, fertility patterns in sub-Saharan Africa (revealing that ideal family size remains high despite girls' education), and demographic changes in Vietnam and Myanmar affecting agricultural production and food security. Her publication record demonstrates consistent focus on global demographic trends, with recent work increasingly addressing the intersection of population change with environmental challenges. She has authored influential books including 'How Population Change Will Transform Our World' (Oxford University Press, 2016) and is working on a new book for Cambridge University Press on Population and Environmental Change. Scientific Awards and Honors CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 2018 for services to Demography Royal Society for Public Health: Arts and Health Research Award (2011) Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences Fellow of the Royal Anthropology Institute Professor Harper has supervised numerous PhD students across diverse topics from biodiversity conservation in Southeast Asia to intergenerational solidarity in Turkey. Her advisory work extends globally, having served on the Scientific Advisory Board of Natural England, the Royal Society's Working Group on Population and Environment, and as an advisor to governments including the UK, Malaysia, Singapore, and the European Commission. She has received research funding from organizations including the US National Institutes of Health, which supported the founding of the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing. As Director of the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, Professor Harper leads a multidisciplinary team examining demographic trends and their societal implications. The Institute serves as a hub for international collaboration on ageing research, working with organizations including Population Europe and the International Association of Research Universities. She also serves as founding editor of the Journal of Population Ageing and editor of the Handbook of Ageing and Public Policy.
Emily S. Cross is Professor at the University of Glasgow's School of Psychology & Neuroscience, where she co-directs the Social Brain in Action Lab (SoBA) and leads the ERC Starting Grant 'Social Robots' project. She completed her PhD at Dartmouth College and held positions at Bangor University, Radboud University, and the University of Western Australia before joining Glasgow. Her research explores: Experience-dependent plasticity through dance and motor learning Social cognition in human-robot interaction Emotional processing during action observation Aesthetic perception of movement Cross-cultural differences in technology acceptance Professor Cross uses neuroimaging (fMRI), neurostimulation (TMS, tDCS), and behavioral methods to study how we perceive and learn from human and artificial agents. Her work has been published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences, Journal of Neuroscience, and Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. She currently supervises projects on robot-assisted health interventions and develops VR paradigms to study social cognition.
Laia Becares is a Professor of Social Science and Health at King's College London, part of the School of Global Affairs and the Department of Global Health & Social Medicine. She previously held roles at the University of Sussex (2018-2022) and the University of Manchester (2010-2018), where she maintains an Honorary position. She serves as an Editor of Sociology of Health and Illness and on the Academic Reference Group of the NHS Race and Health Observatory. Her work is funded by organizations such as the Nuffield Foundation and the Health Foundation. Laia holds a PhD in Social Epidemiology from University College London (UCL) and a Master's in Public Health from Boston University School of Public Health. Her research employs an interdisciplinary approach, collaborating with sociologists, psychiatrists, geographers, and demographers to understand how discrimination and marginalization perpetuate social and health inequities. Key areas include racism, homophobia/heterosexism, LGBTQ+ inequalities, and the impact of systemic oppression across life stages. She co-developed the Queerantine Study on pandemic impacts on LGBTQ+ communities and leads the ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health, fostering student mentorship in health inequality topics. Her scientific awards include ESRC/MRC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (2010-2012), Hallsworth Research Fellowship (2012-2016), and ESRC Future Research Leader Fellowship (2012-2015). Recent work focuses on ethnic healthcare disparities in multimorbidity and longitudinal studies of racism's effects on health outcomes. Ongoing projects include LGBTQ+ policymaking networks and the GHSM Anti Racism Steering Group, addressing structural inequities in academia and healthcare. Laia’s grants include Nuffield Foundation funding for ethnic inequalities in later life and Health Foundation support for healthcare equity studies. She advocates for integrating lived experiences into research design, particularly through the Evidence for Equality National Survey (EVENS). Her lab affiliations include Queer@King’s and the ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health, emphasizing collaborative, community-driven approaches.
Dr. Susana Castro-Kemp is an Associate Professor in Psychology and Human Development at University College London's Institute of Education (IOE), where she serves as Director of the Centre for Inclusive Education (CIE) since September 2023. Previously, she was a Reader in Education at the University of Roehampton for eight years. Her work focuses on inclusive education policy and practice globally, with particular expertise in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), early childhood intervention, and mental health in schools. The IOE has been ranked number one in the world for Education for several consecutive years, providing an ideal environment for her impactful research. Dr. Castro-Kemp holds a PhD in Psychology jointly awarded in 2012 by the University of Porto (Portugal) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA). Her doctoral research was fully funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology/European Commission and the Global Education and Development Studies scholarships. She is a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society, a Senior Fellow of Advance HE, and a Recognised Research Supervisor by the UK Council for Graduate Education. Dr. Castro-Kemp's research centers on policy regulating education, health, and welfare services for children, particularly those with support needs. She examines inclusive education practices from users' perspectives, policy models leading to effective inclusive pedagogy, and country-level policy impacts on outcomes for children with special educational needs. Her work moves away from diagnostic labels toward engagement and civic participation as educational outcomes. She also investigates inclusion and early intervention in low- and middle-income countries, mental health in schools, and quality of early childhood education. Her recent publications reveal several key trends in inclusive education research. There's growing emphasis on understanding educational experiences through the voices of children and families rather than diagnostic labels. Much of her work examines the implementation gap between inclusive education policy and classroom practice. She has conducted significant research on how children with special educational needs experienced the pandemic, revealing both challenges and unexpected "silver linings" for some groups. Her corpus analysis of Ofsted reports shows narrow focus in early childhood education inspections, while her work on SEND policy increasingly takes an international comparative approach. Dr. Castro-Kemp has received recognition for her impactful work, including: Best Digital Humanities Project for Community Engagement Prize (2023) from the National Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences of South Africa for her project "Optimising collaborations and reducing inequalities of Early Childhood Intervention in post-Covid-19 South Africa" Dr. Castro-Kemp has secured approximately £1.3 million in research funding from various sources including ESRC, British Academy/Leverhulme Trust, European Commission, and private sponsors. Her current major project is 'ScopeSEND' (2024-2026), funded by the Nuffield Foundation (£250,000), examining international SEND policies. She has led numerous projects including "Transdisciplinary provision for children with disabilities in the Global South" (£3,500), "Optimising collaborations in South Africa" (£47,200), and "Froebel meets Ofsted" (£19,185). As a supervisor, she mentors MA/MSc and PhD students in education policy, early childhood, and inclusive education, having been nominated for student choice awards for excellent feedback and outstanding research supervision. As Director of the UCL Centre for Inclusive Education since 2023, Dr. Castro-Kemp leads a team focused on advancing knowledge exchange and research in inclusion and special needs. The Centre works with schools, educators, parents, and early years settings to translate research into practice. Her international collaborations include work with the World Health Organization as a technical advisor on the use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) system in educational contexts. She also serves on the SEN Policy Research Forum and has provided oral evidence to the House of Commons Education Select Committee.
Dr. Georgie Agar is a Lecturer at the School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston University , affiliated with the College of Health and Life Sciences and the Applied Health Research Group . Her research focuses on sleep disorders, self-injurious behavior, and caregiver impact in individuals with intellectual disabilities and rare genetic syndromes like Smith-Magenis and Angelman syndromes. Research Interests : Dr. Agar specializes in developing inclusive clinical assessment tools for sleep, pain, and behavior in neurodevelopmental populations. She employs mixed-methods, meta-analytic approaches, and longitudinal studies to explore sleep trajectories, behavioral conditioning models, and caregiver experiences. Publications : Her work spans sleep management in Smith-Magenis syndrome, overactivity metrics in genetic conditions, and systematic reviews on self-restraint in autism. Key journals include Molecular Autism , Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases , and Research in Developmental Disabilities . Labs & Collaborations : She collaborates with the Aston Institute of Health & Neurodevelopment , focusing on neurodevelopmental research and cross-institutional partnerships in sleep and behavioral science.
Duncan Astle is the Gnodde Goldman Sachs Professor of Neuroinformatics at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge. He serves as a Programme Leader at the Medical Research Council's Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit (MRC CBU) and is a Fellow of Robinson College. Astle heads the 4D Lab (Development, Dynamics, Disorders, Data Science), which provides a research home for approximately 15 Early Career Researchers working at the intersection of developmental cognitive neuroscience and advanced data science methodologies. Astle's research focuses on understanding childhood development through innovative analytical approaches. His work employs transdiagnostic methods to study children with attention, learning, and memory difficulties, moving beyond traditional diagnostic categories. He investigates how neural systems develop in childhood, how they relate to developmental disorders, and how they respond to intervention. His research integrates network science, machine learning, and generative modeling to capture the complexity of neurodevelopmental diversity, examining how cognitive skills, literacy, numeracy, and mental health interrelate over developmental time. His publication record reveals a strong focus on brain connectivity and organization across development. Recent work explores structural and functional neurodevelopmental trajectories, brain wiring economics, and the impact of environmental factors on neural development. Astle's research frequently employs advanced data science techniques to identify sub-populations of children with different cognitive or brain profiles, regardless of diagnosis, and to map non-linear relationships between brain organization and cognitive difficulties. His work has increasingly focused on transdiagnostic approaches to understanding developmental disorders and the application of computational models to developmental neuroscience. Astle actively supervises PhD students and has built a substantial research group that contributes to major projects including the Centre for Attention Learning and Memory (CALM) and Resilience in Education and Development (RED). His work has been supported by prestigious funding bodies including the Royal Society, the British Academy, the Medical Research Council, and the Economic and Social Research Council, as well as multiple charitable foundations. The 4D Lab, under Astle's leadership, utilizes state-of-the-art facilities at the University of Cambridge, including on-site magnetic resonance imaging and magnetoencephalography scanners. The lab contributes to building specialist cohorts such as CALM (800 children with cognitive difficulties plus 200 comparison children) and RED, which study children's development, resilience, and educational outcomes. Astle's team explores how growing up in adverse environments affects children's brains, behavior, and mental health, with the aim of identifying early markers of risk and resilience.
Dr. Jeannine Baumgartner is a Lecturer in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at King's College London and an Extraordinary Associate Professor at North-West University, South Africa. She holds an MSc and PhD in Human Nutrition from ETH Zurich, Switzerland. Key Appointments : Lecturer at King's College London (2022–present), Senior Scientist at ETH Zurich (2018–2022), Associate Professor at North-West University (2018). Research Focus : Optimal early-life nutrition for maternal/child health, iron and omega-3 fatty acid interventions, stable isotope methodologies, HIV-metabolic interactions, and mental health-diet links. Her recent work explores iron absorption dynamics in Thai children, maternal iron status in South Africa, and omega-3 fatty acids in depression. She leads an NIHR-funded project to reassess UK iron reference values. Scientific Leadership : Board Member, International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL) Editorial Board, European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Anna Morris holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and is actively engaged in research addressing mental health challenges in youth. Her work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to good health and well-being. She collaborates on interdisciplinary projects, including participatory design frameworks for neurodiverse populations and the implementation of digital tools in healthcare. Key research areas include child and adolescent mental health, mental health service optimization, and the application of digital innovations in clinical settings. Her recent studies explore caregiver perspectives on online platforms, pandemic impacts on youth mental health, and fluid therapy protocols in surgical contexts. Her publications highlight trends in integrating technology with mental health care, emphasizing caregiver involvement and remote monitoring systems. Collaborations span academic and clinical institutions, reflecting a commitment to translating research into practical healthcare solutions. Anna has contributed to 8 peer-reviewed articles since 2023, focusing on both mental health and interdisciplinary surgical research. Her work underscores a dedication to improving patient outcomes through evidence-based interventions and technological advancements.
